The Philadelphia Phillies have made their thoughts on Bo Bichette abundantly clear after he signed with the New York Mets.
It was looking more and more like the Philadelphia Phillies were going to sign Bo Bichette. They recently held a very positive meeting with him, and they seemed willing to give him a lucrative long-term contract.
Instead, the New York Mets swooped in and stole the two-time All-Star, leaving the Phillies in quite a lurch when it comes to adding another bat.
And apparently, Philadelphia is perturbed about the whole ordeal.
During a recent episode of the Phillies Show podcast, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com revealed how Philadelphia's front office felt after Bichette spurned the Phillies to sign with their fierce NL East rivals.
"Now the question is, did his agent say 'we have a deal,' virtual handshake, or was it a 'hey, if you meet this price, we're going to get there.'" Zolecki said. "The word 'livid' was used in terms of the reaction to the news that Bo did not end up coming to the Phillies and went to the Mets."
Bichette ultimately signed a three-year, $126 million contract with New York, a deal that includes opt outs after the first and second seasons.
Bo Bichette. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.Philadelphia has had a long-standing policy where it does not feature opt outs in its contracts, so that — coupled with the massive $42 million average annual salary Bichette received from the Mets — may have been the death knell for the Phillies.
To be quite frank, Philadelphia may have dodged a bullet here.
Yes, Bichette is a terrific hitter who posted an .840 OPS with the Toronto Blue Jays last season and owns an .806 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2019, but he is also one of the worst defensive players in baseball.
In fact, throughout his free agency, teams made it clear that it did not view Bichette as a shortstop even though he has played his entire career there. Had the 28-year-old joined the Phillies, he would have had to play second base. He is expected to man the hot corner with the Mets.
Spending extravagant money on a fairly one-dimensional player may not have been the best move for Philadelphia, although it's also true that the Phils desperately need another bat alongside of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
We'll see if the Phillies counter with any other additions this winter.